Light stood amidst dozens of cheering inmates in a lower zone arena.
He watched as two level-two ladies clashed in the ring. He had followed Bodoo's suggestion, and it had been working out well.
His number of devoured souls had mounted to eight, and he noticed Shadow grew considerably stronger after every soul devoured. Light had wanted to spar with it, but it surprisingly ignored him… Shadow, after all, was independent and only acted because of Light's will.
He knew his shadow was superior in terms of raw strength, skills, and fighting techniques, but he had the IQ. He was sure he could put up a fight against Shadow if they fought.
His dread index had grown considerably in these past several days, but it was regrettably slower than when he awakened, which made him conclude that the local GAA had successfully suppressed the news of his awakening, or had made a false announcement about his death.
Still, he had made it to level two already. His maximum Ether point reserves had increased to 30/30… and his new level had gone past its initial stages. Now, he felt like he had actual superpowers. Before, his strength was comparable to that of a bulky mundane human.
He was pulled out of his thoughts when the cheering of the crowd intensified. He paved his way closer to the ring when he saw the match had concluded.
When the ring was cleared, he instantly ascended the stairs. He simply undressed there, leaving only his combat shorts, which he rarely took off. He raised his finger and pointed at a bulky man with a huge forehead. He had studied him beforehand… watched every one of his fights, so he was a little confident he would win with that advantage.
This particular opponent was more on the brute strength side. He always overwhelmed his opponents before they could adapt to his fighting style.
Gasps resounded when everyone saw who it was.
"Isn't that Lightless?" a panicked voice whispered, audible enough that Light's enhanced hearing caught it.
"He survived angering Akumo."
"The rookie devil… he always leaves his enemies in a pool of blood with nothing but his fists."
Light felt satisfied, knowing his reputation was growing just as he wanted.
He would make himself known by every single Prison-schooler.
'My journey of absolute dominion will start here. It doesn't matter how suppressed my identity is in the outside world. The more impact I make here, the harder my reappearance will hit once I escape… only then will the Authority issue an emergency recovery mission, alerting the citizens… all according to plan.'
The man Light pointed at hesitated. He had inquired about the rookie devil before coming here. Every level two had. But since the rookie devil was an "assassin," spotting him amidst a crowd was difficult.
"Are you sure about this, rookie? You might want to reconsider… you, an assassin, challenging a strength-styled fighter like me?
That's ridiculous."
He studied Light's expression, watching for even the faintest hint of hesitation so he could persuade him further, but there was none.
He sighed before walking up to the ring, his steps heavy.
A few Prison-schoolers at level two slowly and unnoticeably exited the arena. The rookie devil sometimes fought two consecutive fights before leaving.
They stood in front of Light, already changed. He had a domineering physique that could have intimidated others, but Light stood unfazed.
He burst forward without hesitation the moment the cage door was locked.
Someone in the crowd voiced out in surprise.
"Is he stupid? Charging at Metalfist like that!..."
Metalfist snorted in disdain before drawing his right arm back, his fist clenched.
He punched forward, aiming at Light's face… his two arms became clad in ghostly metal gauntlets that weren't there a second ago.
Light, having expected this, didn't panic. He looked straight at Metalfist's arms before whispering,
"Soften."
He then pulled out his ultimate weapon unseen. He leapt up and somersaulted above his opponent. Using his hidden weapon, he slashed at Metalfist's approaching arm, carving a deep cut from his fist to his shoulder. He used the same sharp book unnoticeably and split the back of the enemy's neck before landing lightly behind him.
Metalfist buckled, not knowing what had happened. He only saw the rookie devil penetrate his metal gauntlet skill with nothing but extended fingers.
He felt his neck and body turn cold. His eyes slowly dimmed before turning lifeless.
Metalfist fell forward, hitting his face on the floor. Blood pooled immediately.
The usual system notification appeared again. It was unusually brighter, as though celebrating the cruelty of its host.
{You've slain an enemy. Umbrael's dominion grows stronger.}
{New soul devoured 9/10: Metalfist. Shadow now possesses Metalfist's metal style}
The crowd that usually cheered after each match fell silent. They all stared at the lifeless body of the elite fighter, Metalfist.
Voices whispered.
"Wh— what in the hell was that just now?..."
"Holy shit… that's gotta be the fastest victory ever recorded."
Light had already tucked his book away. He knew he would be losing his ultimate weapon soon, since he suspected his next class would be coming soon.
'That's the ninth soul devoured… what will happen once the count hits ten?'
He looked around, his sharp gaze scanning every face and rank.
'Pathetic losers… they all ran.'
He rolled his eyes when he noticed not a single level two remained in the arena.
'I can't afford to let go of this book without a boost to take its place… it's no longer about the arena fights.'
He sighed before locking his gaze on a particular figure watching with crossed arms.
'It's now about having the strength and a trump card to protect me against the hostile gangs hunting me outside the arenas.'
He raised his finger again and pointed at the female figure he had locked eyes with.
The figure raised a brow in clear doubt.
She smirked and raised her finger, pointing at her chest with a tilted head.
Light, despite not hearing her, read her lips. He nodded without much expression.
The crowd was still digesting Metalfist's shameful defeat when they saw Light point at a new opponent.
"He's clearly overdoing it! Silentsteps will skin him alive."
"Aren't they both assassins? He's getting too arrogant."
Light ignored it all as he tapped his waist. The feeling of his ultimate weapon gave him a little confidence. He knew that without it, he was like a lion with no teeth, forced to fight only with claws.
But still… fighting across levels was simply ridiculous… a lucky feat that only very few fighters could pull off.